Black Bear Management Areas
Regional Black Bear Management Areas come into effect with the Spring 2025 Season on the island of Newfoundland. Regional BBMAs incorporate the area boundaries for previous Black Bear Management Areas (BMAs) that correspond to Moose Management Areas (MMAs).
When applying for a 2025 Black Bear Licence you can use the map and table below to identify the new area number to apply for. If, for example, you previously applied for a BMA 1 licence, you would now apply for the new BBMA 201- Northern Peninsula licence. If you purchased multiple licences in the past, you may not need to this year if those areas fall in the same BBMA; for example, if you applied for BMA 40 and BMA 45 previously, both areas will be included in the BBMA 201 – Northern Peninsula Licence.
** The open seasons for the trapping and shooting of black bear noted above for the island of Newfoundland means those moose management area boundaries described in Schedule A of the Moose Hunting Order, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Licence Returns and Reporting Harvest
When filling out 2025 Licence returns to report a harvest, please include the relevant MMA map and appropriate block information to complete your return. Maps are available through the links in the table above.
Important Notes:
- A valid black bear licence may be used for both the spring and fall 2025 season.
- Bag limits remain at two black bears per licence. Hunters may either harvest two bears in spring, two in fall, or one in each season.
- Female bears (sows) with cubs may not be harvested.
- Black bear hunters may apply for additional licences if they wish to harvest more than two black bears.
- The fall bow hunting season on the island of Newfoundland begins on August 30, 2025 (Note: this does not include cross bows). There is no preseason bow hunt for the spring season.
- Licenced black bear hunters are permitted to trap black bears using Aldrich foot snares or similar devices (designed to capture and hold bears by the foot) set in a covered “cubby set”. The set must be checked daily and clearly marked with a warning sign indicating that a bear snaring device is set in the cubby.
- Black bear hunters must possess a valid big game black bear licence and a valid trapping licence to set foot hold trapping devices for black bear.
- Note that for licencing purposes for the 2025 spring Black Bear season, individuals who possess a 2024-25 General Trapper’s Licence and a 2025 Black Bear Licence will be permitted to use Aldrich foot holding traps or similar devices for harvesting Black bear. A person who intends on using these trapping devices during the 2025 fall Black Bear season will be required to purchase a 2025-26 General Trapper’s Licence which will be available during the normal trapper application/licence processing period in July.
- Apply for your 2025 Resident Black Bear licence online by visiting wildlife.gov.nl.ca.